Raceways are commonly installed in concrete slab foundations and floors, particularly in commercial construction settings, to serve as conduits for electrical and telecommunication wiring. One of the most common methods of providing electrical outlets in the floor of a commercial building is to install plastic floor boxes prior to pouring the concrete. In a typical installation, one or more raceways lead into a plastic floor box having one or more outlets mounted in its cover. Such floor boxes are commonly used with both electrical outlets and telecommunications/data ports, either separately or combined in a single box.
Installation of a conventional floor box is generally as follows. First, the box is disposed in its proper location and anchored in place. Next, the raceways (or, conduits) are attached to hubs extending from the sides of the box. The concrete is then poured to the desired depth and, after the concrete sets, the excess top portion of the box is cut off, leaving an upper edge essentially flush with the concrete surface. An activation ring is then glued in place inside the open top end of the box to provide attachment surfaces (i.e., threaded holes) for the cover plate which holds the receptacles. After the glue has hardened, the cover plate is secured to the activation ring and the receptacles and receptacle covers are installed.
In the prior art installation described above, both the box and the activation ring are formed of plastic, with a suitable adhesive being used to secure the activation ring within the box. It has been discovered that such assemblies have certain disadvantages, namely, the time consumed in applying adhesive and allowing it to cure, and the relatively low structural strength of the plastic activation ring. Accordingly, a need has been recognized for a floor box assembly having a more structurally sound activation ring which does not require adhesive during installation.